Great Showcase of Elvis as Bluesman
Andrew Odom Jr | New York, N.Y., USA | 03/17/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a fine, if incomplete, look at Elvis Presley's deep blues roots. Too often it is forgotten how much the singer was influenced by blues and R&B. This collection spotlights familiar blues cuts like "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," plus less known tracks like "Like A Baby."In some ways this now out-of-print U.K. set (from 2000)is superior to the "Reconsider Baby" blues set RCA released in the '80s, featuring quite a few tunes it overlooked, and excluding a few that didn't work as well. They actually both compliment each other fairly well. Still, a few tracks, "Beach Boy Blues" (a fun Hollywood "blues" from "Blue Hawaii) and "Hot Dog" (an uptempo '50s movie rocker that is blues really in structure only) probably should have been left off. Both sets neglected Elvis' more recently-issued '70s jam on "Tiger Man," his "Aloha" romp on "Steamroller Blues" and the barely-known soundtrack tune, "All I Needed Was the Rain," among others.Still, there's some surprising choices of bluesy but country-flavored tracks like "Clean Up Your Own Backyard (the first issue apparently of the undubbed version), "After Loving You"(why not "Power of Your Love" from same session?), plus the great, recently-issued slow blues version of Percy Mayfield's "Stranger In My Own Hometown.""Give Me the Right" is bluesy, but a bit lightweight for inclusion. A version of "C.C. Rider" (his regular opener later on) would have been perfect instead."New Orleans" is a ripe choice, but "Trouble" (also from "King Creole")is sorely missing from what we must think of as a "sampler."A few more Sun sides, like a slow alternate of "I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" would have been inspired, plus "Baby What You Want Me To Do" from the '68 Comeback "boxing ring." The latter may have been the King's favorite blues. How did they miss this?All in all, a fine collection, with newly-commissioned, extensive liner notes. I'm happy they even tried this. It may surpass the U.S. version, and certainly is the gem of the whole (U.K. only) Elvis "Ultimate Collection." This surely is a "must" Elvis album - even if you have most or all of them on the boxsets. In fact, RCA / BMG would find an Elvis "Blues" boxset (two cds or even three) to be a natural collection that would win raves, if paced correctly and intelligently assembled. Until then, snap this one up, along with the U.S. predecessor."
Elvis Sings The Blues - What More Could You Ask?
A Music Fan | Forest Park, GA USA | 08/30/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love this album. Really and truly love it. I could play it over and over and over again. Why? Because it's Elvis! Singing the blues! What other reason do you need? Elvis never cut a true blues album which is a crying shame because the man could really wrap his voice around a blues song.
This album takes tracks from various places and puts them all together. Yes, there are some excellent songs missing but most of the gems are here. The ever wonderful 'Reconsider Baby' is a standout, with Elvis so into the song that you can hear him throatily encouraging the musicians to 'play the blues, boy' in the bridge. There's also a down and dirty version of 'Stranger in My Home Town' plus the excellent 'One Night of Sin' (with the original "dirty" lyrics). The underrated 'Like A Baby' (from Elvis Is Back!) is one of the best blues he ever recorded. I could go on and on about the wonderful songs here, including 'It Feels So Right,' 'So Glad You're Mine,' 'I Feel So Bad,' and -- well, you get the picture. Get this album and wallow in it. Although there's some overlap, this makes a great companion to the other Elvis blues album, Reconsider Baby. The King at his bluesy best. I'll say it again - what more could you ask?
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Track Listings (20) - Disc #1